Brussels sprout salad
Cavoletti di Bruxelles in insalata
In my opinion, cabbage is generally underrated. During the cold months these leafy greens provide a high fiber substitute for lettuce that turns watery and tasteless with greenhouse cultivation. There are so many different varieties of cabbage to choose from. They can be served raw, cooked or preserved. And the price is so ridiculously low, it is a wonder anyone bothers to grow them.
This recipe demonstrates how to turn coarse cabbage into a delicate raw brussels sprout salad by means of a few apple and capers. The salad is best, when the small, fresh buds are finely cut in paper thin slices. I’m not on good terms with my mandoline, but use a sharp knife and a lot of time to achieve a delicate cut, which is important as coarsely chopped cabbage gets chewy and indigestible.
Ingredients
10 Brussels sprouts
2 apples
1 tbsp capers
Olive oil
1 lemon – juice and zest
Fresh chervil or parsley
Preparation
Start by mixing a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice, as this will prevent the apples from turning brow.
Wash and core the apples, cut them in thin slices and mix them well with dressing.
Remove the outer cabbage leaves and cut the buds as thinly as possible.
Toss the Brussels sprouts in the dressing along with capers and grated lemon zest.
Sprinkle the brussels sprout salad with chopped chervil or parsley before serving.
The raw brussels sprouts are absolutely delicious in this fresh and crunchy salad.
I love the flavor and chewiness of cabbage. But I don’t like it at all when it’s cooked. The traditional cole slaw is usually sliced very thin. That is when it’s the best!
What a lovely and fresh version of brussel sprouts! I agree with you. Cabbage is truly under rated! This time of year, I enjoy so many recipes with brussel sprouts sauted with bacon and cranberries, etc. But it’s so refreshing to see such a lightened up version. And I’m very excited to try this! (And what a lovely site you have!) : )
Thanks – both for the kind words and for the inspiration. I’ll try the sauted bacon and cranberries version next:)
This sounds like a lovely winter salad! I totally agree that cabbage is underrated.
Ciao Mette, Poor underrated and underused cabbage. Why is that anyway? It just seems like people always look right past it. This salad sounds great. I bet the combo of cabbage and apples is refreshing – their crunch when sliced thinly is really quite similar. Thanks for this one, and my sister just loves cabbage, so this post is going off to her right now.
This salad sounds great. My husband and I spent a good deal of time in Norway and Denmark and this salad would have been a Godsend in the middle of winter. I wish I had imagined it myself.